Save Type Settlement Usage Kazakh, Russian Scripts Шымкент(Kazakh, Russian) شىمكەنت(Kazakh Arabic) Pronounced Pron. /ʃɯm.ˈkɛnt/(Kazakh) /ʂɨm.ˈkʲent/(Russian) [key·simplify] Meaning & History From Kazakh шым (shym) meaning "sod, turf, meadow" and кент (kent) meaning "town". This is the name of a city in Kazakhstan.